


Nightmares

by SkylaDoragono



Category: Bleach, Tales of the Abyss
Genre: Dubious Consent, M/M, Manipulation, Tentacles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2010-04-23
Updated: 2011-05-15
Packaged: 2017-10-09 05:26:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/83514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylaDoragono/pseuds/SkylaDoragono
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke's been having nightmares lately, ones that he can't even comprehend, not to mention tell the others about.  But what can he do when the dreams start becoming real?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Haunted

PART ONE – HAUNTED

He was running again in his dreams, his feet pounding as loud as his heart was hammering in his chest as he struggled to get away from whatever nameless creature that was pursuing him. Luke fon Fabre had been having this same dream for weeks now, to the point where he was more than willing to accept the fact that he was just permanently scarred after what happened at Akzeriuth and leave it at that. Something about these dreams made him reluctant to just write them off as a result of his guilt, however, but he did not know what the hell else it could be, other than annoying.

Suddenly his run came to an abrupt stop as he encountered a wall. Luke yelped, tumbling to the floor of this featureless dreamscape, utterly confused at this sudden change. That was unusual; normally his dream had him running forever from a nameless and faceless thing until he finally woke up in a cold sweat. Concerned, he climbed back up to his feet, feeling his blood run cold, like an animal trapped in a hunter's net, as he turned around to face whatever it was behind him...

The silence was almost painful, and just when Luke thought he was really alone and whatever he was running from was only an illusion in his mind, some... _thing_ lashed out from the darkness, wrapping around his wrists and yanking them above his head. He found himself slammed against the wall in the next moment, his breath flying out of him in surprise at the sudden brutal treatment. It took him a moment before he could struggle, fighting against the fleshy things that held him, before he became aware of more creeping toward him.

Luke let out a yelp as his ankles were grabbed; pulling them far apart from one another, to the point that it was awkward. Yet more crept out from the darkness, swarming about him as he struggled, feeling like hundreds of hands groping and feeling at places that were not meant to be groped and felt at. A soft whimper escaped from him as quite a few took to massaging his crotch, coaxing his penis to stand erect in his pants. It made him flush when he realized that was the intention, wishing he could shrink down to a small size and crawl under a rock.

Sadly it did not take long to realize that was not happening any time soon. A loud ripping sound was the only warning Luke got before he felt something _invading_ him. He stiffened in shock, before a scream of pain and surprise came from the back of his throat.

"N-no! Stop!" he ordered, though it did him no good. Whatever it was writhed about inside of him, pressing against things that made stars dance before his eyes; it felt good, far too good, and he knew he _had_ to have been whimpering in real life just like he was in his dream.

"Let go..." he gasped out. "P-please let go..."

Still they did not listen to him, and he could feel another one working its way into him, joining its companion in poking around inside of him as he let out a breathless moan. The other things were still moving about his body, sliding under his shirt, feeling him, almost like they were _worshipping_ his body. The thought brought another wave of heat to his face as his head fell back, soft moans escaping from him with almost every breath. Too good, too amazing; it was wrong and right in every way possible and he wanted it to _stop,_ but at the same time wanted the good parts to keep going.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of lips wrapping around his erection, and he tried to jerk his head up to see the face of his mysterious attacker. One of the fleshy things intercepted him though; ramming itself into his mouth and forcing his head back down. Luke choked in surprise, struggling for a moment, before the sensations quickly overwhelmed him again; there were two things in his ass, filling him and stretching him as they did things he doubted anything human could do, so many things around his body feeling and touching him, and someone paying his erection due attention. He was not very surprised he did not last long after that.

The scream that ripped from his throat as he came was accompanied by him shooting straight up on his bed, covered in sweat and breathing hard. He was not the least surprised to feel his pants more than a little damp... nor was he surprised to feel two pairs of eyes watching him with varying degrees of shock and amusement.

"Don't... a-ask," he managed to get out, shooting off of the bed and into the bathroom, and ignoring the stares Guy and Jade were giving him. No doubt they did not even need to ask, but he was not going to stick around for questions.

As soon as he shut the door to the bathroom, he could hear Jade let out an amused laugh. "My, my; it seems our illustrious leader has hit puberty."

Luke groaned under his breath, pointedly locking the door before he stripped out of his clothes. It took seeing himself naked in the mirror before the reality of the situation hit him, drawing a choked cry from him as he stared with wide eyes. All along his chest were burn marks, like someone had drawn a torch across his chest. It was not just his chest either; it was his wrists, his hands, his penis, and as he shifted on his feet, he could even feel the burns _inside_ of him... exactly where whatever it was had been touching him...

His breath came out of him in a soft _whoosh,_ before he could finally get himself to move, fumbling for a lemon gummi and downing it as soon as his shaking fingers removed it from the wrapper. He was still shaking as the medicine did its work, and he planted his hands on the counter to try and stop it. That thing that was in his dream... it was real, it had really touched him, and... did _that_ to him... and it left its marks to prove it...

Luke swallowed loudly, trying to get himself under control as he went for a change of clothes. He was going to need to confront this thing and get it to go the hell away before the others started asking questions that would be too embarrassing to answer.

~.oOOo.~

A pair of big brown eyes was staring up at him as Luke slumped over the table that morning, looking exactly like he felt: crappy. The owner of those eyes reached out to rest a hand on his shoulder, a very concerned expression on her face as she tried to cheer him up. No matter how energetic Anise was, however, there was no way Luke was going to be cheerful after last night. Raped by something in his dreams... and then being afraid to sleep afterward; he was positively _miserable._

"Cheer up, Luke..." Anise murmured, giving him a hug as best she could, before her expression brightened. "Oh! I'll make your favorite for breakfast!"

He perked up a little at that. "...sure thing."

Anise skipped off as Luke sighed, forcing himself to sit upright in his chair. There was no use being aggravated, especially with everyone else giving him worried looks, but he could not help but worry that something terrible was going to happen today...

With breakfast consumed and all their gear in order, their little group of world heroes set out from the town they were staying in, on the way to where they had left the _Albiore_ docked. Monsters suddenly attacked when they were about halfway there, and try as he might, Luke could just not concentrate, a sick, unsettled feeling worming its way into his stomach. He tried to back off, let Guy or Anise take most of the physical assault, but one of the creatures followed him anyway, biting and snapping at him.

Luke attempted to strike back, bringing his sword down on the creature, but it evaded him easily, growling as it slowly approached. He backed away, dimly aware of the others shouting for him... but it all drowned away as he felt something _cold_ against his back...

_Do I have you that distracted, boy?_

His eyes widened at the sing song voice in his ear, but he did not have the time to whirl around and see what it was. The creature leapt at him at that moment, sensing weakness; and Luke flung his sword up in a vain effort to protect himself. Whatever it was behind him seemed to be two steps ahead, and he could hear a faint chuckle as the monster was suddenly in pieces at his feet.

Luke collapsed to his knees as the sounds of battle came to an end around him, and the others came rushing toward him. Natalia reached him first, checking him over for injuries.

"Luke, what's wrong with you?" she asked, concern clear in her voice and expression.

"I... I think there's someone else here," Luke replied softly.

"Who?"

He was about to answer, when he felt a pressure on the back of his head, pushing him forward and making him land near the slain creature. No one had a chance to ask what happened as Luke suddenly screamed in pain, words drawn from a finger burning themselves into his back.

This boy belongs to me now.

"W-what is it...?" Luke gasped when the pain finally stopped.

Silence hung over the group, staring at the words burned into his back. It was a long moment before any of them even moved, let alone spoke. Jade cleared his throat, his glasses reflecting the light of the sun so none of them could properly see the expression on his face.

"I never thought I would say this," he began, "but... I believe you're being haunted, Luke."

~.oOOo.~

Once they had found a patch of land that they could park the _Albiore_ on, the group decided to land and camp out for the night. Luke kept his distance, preferring not to have the others try and communicate with his little "ghost" again. Tear had attempted to do so, and it only led to more painful burn marks on his back. Besides, this was his ghost that he had somehow picked up from somewhere, and therefore, his problem...

Not only that, but there was that little voice in the back of his head that said if it was an angry soul from Akzeriuth, he more than deserved their presence.

_A wise choice, keeping yourself away from the others..._

Luke jumped at the voice that suddenly purred next to his ear, hovering close to him as he rolled out his sleeping bag for the night. He froze, glancing around to try to see the person and coming up empty, of course.

"...who are you?"

_Fall asleep and I will happily tell you._

"Why? So you can... d-do that again?!" Luke demanded, fighting the blush that was creeping onto his face. "No way!"

Something cold settled on his shoulder, and his ear tingled slightly as something brushed against it.

_You say that as if you weren't enjoying yourself..._

Luke could not fight back the redness in his cheeks then. "...would have been better if what happened after didn't," he mumbled under his breath, feeling ashamed to admit it. The faint chuckle that came in response did not help keep his color down.

_I much rather speak with you face to face, now that I have been able to establish a connection with you._

"What do you mean by that?" Luke asked.

_My actions last night were not_ purely _for sexual fulfillment._

"...oh," came the soft reply. So... he got banged by a ghost, and now they had a "connection"... that made more sense than Luke would have liked to admit.

_Sleep..._

Luke hesitated, glancing down at his sleeping bag, before smoothing it out and settling down to sleep, grumbling the whole time, "Fine, but if I wake up with soiled pants again..."

Despite his nerves, sleep came to him rather quickly, and he found himself standing in the shapeless void that had been the setting for his dreams for the past few weeks. It was a moment before he heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching, and it took him everything not to give in to his panic and run like he had been doing until last night, half hoping running would break the connection that had been established.

Finally, the feet stopped, and a very tense moment passed as Luke whipped his head about, trying to see who was there. An arm suddenly slipped around from behind him, dragging him back to press against the owner of that arm. Luke stiffened, his heart hammering wildly in his chest as he looked down to see the arm completely covered in a white sleeve and white glove. Another moment passed, and he could feel a pair of lips brushing against his ear.

"Welcome back to your 'nightmare', Luke fon Fabre..." the voice purred.

Luke swallowed loudly, somehow finding the ability to move away, turning toward the owner of the voice. The man let him, slipping his arm away from his midsection as smoothly as it had appeared as Luke stopped, staring. He took in the tall and lanky form before him, clothed entirely in white with black accents, the glasses that looked like they were made from bone, the short pink hair that framed his face...

...and Luke had to smack a hand over his mouth as he tried not to burst out laughing.

"Y...you look like Jade and Dist had a kid," he snorted out. It was not funny, not at all, and the man seemed less than impressed with his opinion, but he could not _help_ it. How could he take this guy _seriously?_

"If you're quite done..." the man began, sounding rather agitated. Luke stifled his giggling as best he could, though he could not keep the smile off his face as he lowered his hand.

"Sorry... that probably wasn't fair," he replied, at least having the decency to look apologetic. He paused a moment, looking around the space, almost as if he were expecting something else to be there. "How did you... I mean..."

The man raised an eyebrow, a smirk coming to his face. "My other form."

"...form?" Luke asked, bewildered as he snapped his head back to the man. He had another form? That did not seem like something a ghost would have... not that he was a prime researcher on the subject, but still. "Just... who are you? _What_ are you?"

He got a smirk in response as the man reached up to adjust his glasses. "I am the Octava Espada, Szayel Aporro Granz."

Luke just stared, imagining if he looked really hard, he could see the question marks floating around his confused little head. Szayel seemed to sense this much, because he waved a dismissive hand.

"My former rank is of no real concern," he continued. "Suffice to say, I have been cast out of my home, and I found myself in this strange place, attached to an individual that seemed largely ignorant of my presence for no fathomable reason other than just to try my patience."

"I'm... sorry?" Luke replied, though even he could not tell why he was apologizing. It was not like he had anything to do with Szayel being here, and the man waved his hand again, dismissing it.

"It is no fault of yours," he explained, "merely the powers that be out to irk me in every way possible."

"Well... still, is there anything I can do to help?" Luke asked before he could stop himself. Really, though, if he did not want to be attached to him, and he _really_ did not want to be haunted for the rest of his life, then it would be good for both of them... right?

Szayel merely smirked at the offer. "The ability to speak with you in the real world has been progress enough in my understanding of why I'm here and what I can do about it. Having you as a willing participant in furthering this will make things easier, to be sure."

Luke found himself flushing again, especially as the other man's grin seemed to widen when he said "willing participant." He shuffled on his feet, trying to look angry, though the massive blushing was not working in his favor.

"I-if you hadn't forced yourself on me last night, maybe I would have understood what you were trying to do!" he exclaimed. Szayel's expression did not change... but he did suddenly disappear, reappearing behind Luke and snaking his arm around him again.

"And now that you understand...?" he purred in his ear, Luke freezing solid against him as he felt his hands wandering, no doubt leaving burn marks behind on his real body. Still, despite the danger, he could not keep back the small shudder that went down his spine as Szayel touched him, not comprehending _why_ and part of him not caring either.

He swallowed loudly as Szayel's free hand wandered lower, fingers gently gliding along his crotch as the man's lips brushed teasingly against his ear. The man pulled him tight against him, and despite the fact that he was a ghost of some kind, he could almost feel a steady heartbeat at his back, slowly picking up speed as he moved about his body, his hips gently moving against his rear as his hand softly teased to life a small bulge in his pants. Luke swallowed again, struggling to think as heat seemed to radiate through his entire body at his touching.

"N-no... stop..." he murmured softly, though even he could tell it did not sound like he meant it, and it made him wince, trying again. "S-seriously, we're in the middle of no where, and I don't have a spare sleeping bag!"

"You'll be fine..." Szayel purred into his ear, nudging his head to the side. Luke opened his mouth, trying to ask what he was doing, but anything that was supposed to be said was lost as the man bit down on his neck. A strangled cry escaped from his mouth instead as Szayel sucked softly on the small bit of flesh he had between his teeth, pausing to nibble on it once or twice.

Luke shuddered, too caught up in how that felt to realize that Szayel's hand was slipping down his pants, bringing his teasing touch closer to its goal. He cried out softly as the man's gloved fingers wrapped around his erection, pumping him in time with the heart that he felt pounding at his back. Luke moaned softly, a shaking hand reaching up, wanting so much to push this horny ghost off of him, but he found himself clinging to him instead.

"Stop..." he whimpered, but even as he said it, he was aware of the little nagging voice in the back of his head that was telling him to shut up and enjoy it. Szayel seemed to be more intent on listening to that voice, because he did not stop, his hand moving faster as he bit down harder on his neck. Luke cried out, hips bucking slightly as he felt the man's nudge against his rear, very well aware of the fact that something hard was starting to rub against it.

"Please..." he whimpered again, though even he was not sure what he was asking for. Please stop? Please more? Dammit, this guy had him so confused; he did not know what the hell to think!

Szayel clearly wanted to go with "please more," if the fact that he was starting to work off Luke's belt and pants was any clue. He did not try to stop him, but he was not going to _help_ either, still not sure what to think, or if he should even be thinking right now. Despite his lack of help, he could feel his pants hitting whatever was supposed to be the floor in this place, dimly aware of how nasty the burn on his body was going to be as Szayel pressed up against him hard. Luke's other hand fumbled out at the sharp nudge, finding himself pressing it against a wall that he could not really see, whimpering softly with need.

The man's arm wrapped around him again, and he felt himself lifted up slightly, enough so the hard lump behind him could press a little closer to where it certainly wanted to go. Luke cried out softly, his voice trailing off to a pathetic, needy whimper as he pressed his hand hard against the wall, the other still clinging to Szayel as the man leaned over him.

"Is this what you're whimpering for...?" he whispered in his ear, nudging against him in a steady rhythm that made Luke's cock literally twitch. He somehow managed a nod, the teasing driving his body mad with want. The dark chuckle that escaped from Szayel's mouth did not help matters, making his blood run cold under his hot skin as the hand around his erection slipped away to deal with the last of the clothing between them.

Luke felt his rear lifted up a little more, the awkward position making him feel rather conscious of the fact that he could not really see the _ground._ The fingers of one hand dug into the "wall" while the other sunk into the fabric of Szayel's sleeve, especially as he felt something large being pressed against his entrance. Absently, mostly out of instinct, he raised a leg, hooking it around one of his as a violent tremble went through him. He could feel Szayel leaning over him again, lips pressing against his ear...

"...you will never be able to return to the way things were after this..."

His eyes widened as fear broke through the haze of lust, but he did not get a chance to question what he meant by that. A jerk forward brought Szayel into him, and he cried out in pain at the rough entry, fire running up his spine. He did not stop moving, not until he was inside of Luke as far as he could go, and it felt like utter agony the whole way. What made it worse was that Szayel did not even stop to allow him to adjust; he was already rocking out of him, purposefully drawing out the slow, painful movement, before slamming back in. Luke screamed with every thrust, pain radiating from him in waves that made him want to cry, and at the same time, sent an awfully pleased thrill along his body, one that made him feel sick as to what it could possibly mean. This was not good, this was not amazing, not like last night had been; this was something done out of sheer _need,_ something he did not really understand, and part of him did not _want_ to understand.

The hand returned to his erection, pumping him in time with the rough thrusts as he could feel Szayel's heavy breath against his ear. Luke could almost feel the desperation from the man; the need to hurt and touch, and make him scream seemed to roll off of Szayel in monstrous waves, and it made him tremble in fear. He could not believe this was happening, and the shame that he had allowed this was making him dizzy, and the fact that _his body was enjoying every moment_ made it even worse. His body was moving with Szayel's destructive thrusts; his other leg had hooked around him as well, and he was pushing back against him as hard as he could, and something wonderful and ungodly was building up inside of him, winding around him tightly until it felt like he could not breathe, and he _did not know why._

Rather abruptly, his vision turned white, and it took Luke a very long moment to realize he had reached orgasm and everything came to a crashing end. When he could see again, he was staring at the rocks nearby, his sleeping bag twisted around him as he felt something heavy in his pants. He sat up – very painfully – undoing his pants to see what the hell it was.

There was... _something_ slipped over his penis; some kind of bag that stretched, catching his release before it could make a mess of everything. Whatever it was, Szayel must have gotten it on there, somehow, and the thought brought a massive blush to his face. Carefully, Luke slipped it off, tying it off and flinging it as far away as he could. He could hear it splat loudly somewhere in the distance, but he did not care much as he fell back onto his sleeping back, blindly reaching into his travel pack for a lemon gummi to deal with the pain radiating over his entire body.

Luke was going to have to start stockpiling these things if he was going to get rid of this damn ghost.

~.oOOo.~

"...he said his name was Szayel Aporro Granz, and that he was kicked out of his home and ended up attached to me somehow."

The next morning was dull and overcast, threatening rain any moment. The six of them were huddled around a fire, though Luke had to mentally add a seventh to their number. He could feel Szayel hovering behind him, just out of reach, his eyes studying him intently as he relayed their entire conversation last night to the others. Well, almost everything; he left out the whole... sex part; he really did not want to answer questions in regards to that.

"You were screaming last night, Luke..." Tear began. "It woke us up."

"Sorry," he murmured, looking away. "What we're trying to do to get us separated, or at least understand why he's linked to me... kind of really hurts. I'll try to keep my screaming down, but..."

"Are you sure this is something you want to take on yourself, Luke?" Jade asked, sounding genuinely worried about him. It made Luke pause a moment, not entirely sure how to reply.

"...yeah," he finally said after a moment. "I'm the only one that can even feel him nearby anyway, not to mention see him when I'm sleeping. There's not much the rest of you can do."

Luke fell quiet, as did the others. Not much any of them could do... and not much he could do either. He was at the mercy of a man he did not know, all because of forces beyond his control; he had never felt so helpless before in his short life.

Szayel was right; there really was no going back to the way things were after last night...


	2. Entrapment

PART TWO – ENTRAPMENT

Things had changed so much in just a matter of a few weeks that thinking back on it really made Luke's head spin. By day, he conversed with his friends, their group now seven strong, as if everything were normal. They were out to save the world from plummeting into an endless sea of purple sludge, and one of their numbers was invisible to everyone but him, but things were fine otherwise, and that made everything enjoyable during the day.

By night, however, he was a different person, one that only answered to one of his companions, though that one was all he really needed. Once he fell asleep, his touch became his world; he craved for it, even during the long day hours, and wished the night was not so terribly short. The touch did not hurt him so much anymore, most likely because Luke had become more in tune with his presence, and he thankfully could actually rest through the night once they were done… not that he ever wanted them to be done.

A white gloved finger gently traced his lips that night as he lay on the floor of his dreams, obediently still as Szayel hummed softly to himself, just watching the slight rise and fall of his chest.

"What a docile creature you've become, Luke..." he murmured after a moment, fingers moving to trail lightly against his cheek. Luke canted his head toward him slightly, curious.

"Is that bad?" he asked softly.

Szayel mused faintly to himself, before leaning over and planting a soft kiss on his lips. "No... not at all."

Luke's eyes slipped closed as the ghost rolled on top of him, his head obediently tilting to the side as Szayel hovered closer to him. His teeth sank into his skin in the next moment, drawing blood as well as a delighted little cry from the young replica. His hand came up, clinging to the white sleeve of the other man’s uniform as he continued to suck at his neck, letting out a faint hum of enjoyment as he played with his little toy.

"Mm... I could torture you all night..." he purred against his neck, Luke able to feel that sadistic little grin of his that sent chills up his spine.

"Is that a promise...?" Luke murmured softly, getting the ghost to chuckle in amusement. Szayel lifted his head, placing another soft kiss on his lips.

"Perhaps when I've become visible in the real world, my first order of business will be to tie you up and use you as my personal plaything," he purred, fixing Luke with a smirk that sent another pleased chill up along his spine.

"W-why wait?" he found himself asking, drawing a small bark of laughter from Szayel that time.

"Patience," he murmured. "It would do no good to have _everything_ before our connection is totally complete."

"But...!"

Szayel silenced him with a sharp nip, drawing another cry that tapered off into a small whimper. Luke ducked his head submissively, lowering his eyes away from the ghost's face, the action drawing a faint, pleased growl from him. A gloved hand came up, tilting the boy’s face toward him and forcing their eyes to meet.

"I will possess you when the time is right," he growled softly. "It doesn't matter either way. You belong to me, not matter what."

Luke cast his eyes down anyway. "Yes... master," he replied, a bit of a smile coming to his face, knowing very well Szayel liked it when he called him that. Sure enough, the ghost growled again, forcing him into a heated kiss that time, one that damn near stole Luke’s breath away from him.

"Such a disobedient thing..." he purred once he pulled away. "Perhaps I'll have to punish you after all..."

~.oOOo.~

Guy was in the middle of brushing his teeth when the sudden scream ripped though the wall, making him jump and nearly choke on his toothbrush. Damn; he had heard Luke scream a lot over the past few weeks, and it was taking every bit of him not to give into instinct every time he heard it, but that had to be the loudest one yet. Whatever him and that Szayel guy had to be doing had to be ridiculously painful for the poor replica...

"Shouldn't we do something about this?" he called out to the main part of the room, where Jade was preparing for bed. He could practically hear the amused smirk on the colonel's face as he responded.

"Well, I don't see much point."

"Much point?" Guy echoed, tossing his brush in the holder and going out into the room. "Some nights it sounds like he's _killing_ Luke. And you can't tell me you didn't notice those burn marks."

Jade merely gave a nonchalant shrug. "Luke has taken perfect care of the situation so far. Besides, at this point, I doubt he would appreciate us trying to stop him."

Guy paused at that, staring at the Malkuth colonel. "...you know what they're doing, don't you?"

Jade always had that certain look about him when he was keeping things from the rest of them. As he held his arms out in a sheepish gesture, so too came out that "certain look".

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Guy grumbled under his breath, turning back to the room to finish his cleaning. "Yeah, right. Of course you don't."

~.oOOo.~

Luke let out a faint noise as he woke up the next morning, sprawled out on his stomach with his ass sticking straight up in the air. Beside him, he could hear someone chuckling faintly – no doubt Szayel found the unflattering position amusing as hell – and he tilted his head to the side to grumble at him, when he caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He raised his sleep fogged head toward that movement, only to see Tear seated in a chair, her hands folded carefully on her lap as she watched him, eyeing the burns on his arms with concern.

He flushed slightly, fumbling for a gummi and swallowing it as he flipped around and sat on the bed. His focus was on Tear, but he could still feel Szayel beside him, a faint shadow that was wrapping his arm around him possessively.

"What's up, Tear?" Luke asked, ignoring the ghost for the moment. "I didn't oversleep, did I?"

"No..." Tear began, glancing away. "I... just..."

Luke frowned, tilting his head slightly. It was not like her to hesitate like this. "What is it?"

She hesitated a moment more, before she sprang from her seat. Before he knew it, she was before him, pressing her lips softly to his forehead. Luke turned a vibrant shade of red, especially as Szayel growled in irritation, and Tear was much the same shade as she pulled away from him.

"Please... whatever you're doing with this ghost..." she began, "please don't let it hurt you. Please don't let it change you."

Abruptly, she spun on her heel and fled from the room, leaving Luke at a loss for words. Where had that come from, and why was it stirring up a funny feeling in his gut? Before he could dwell much longer on it, he felt Szayel pulling him closer, his other arm wrapping around him possessively, and Luke shuddered, not quite sure what to do now.

~.oOOo.~

Their efforts to save Auldrant had finally come to this point; after making the outer lands as stable as they were going to be at the moment, measuring the vibration of the core, and coming up with plan to stop the vibration and preserve their life, their group stopped at Sheridan to finish the construction of the equipment they would need. It seemed like everything would go according to plan and that they would stop the vibration and restore the world. Unfortunately, at Sheridan was where everything went wrong.

As they were going to get on the _Tartarus_ and dive into the core to stop the vibration, they came out into a whole army of Oracle Knights, led by Legretta the Quick. Everything fell apart shortly after; the Knights laid siege to the town, not caring who they hurt... or even killed. The elderly scholars that had been helping them thus far covered their retreat, but that did not save them from Legretta's wrath, or anyone else for that matter. Everyone was bothered by all the death around them, but Luke even more so. Every dying body he passed, every dead body laid out in the street sent a shock through his system and made him feel weak.

By the time they got to the port, Luke felt like he was going to throw up. Of course, it would have to get worse. Van Grants appeared then and the last of their elderly supporters blocked his path, letting them board the _Tartarus_ and escape. They were just pulling away from the port when he felt their lives fading away, and Luke had to cling to the railing in order not to fall over.

"What's happening...?" he murmured softly, tears falling out of control. "Why am I feeling this...?"

No response came, even though he could feel Szayel's comfortable presence beside him.

They made it to the Core dive point nearly an entire day later, though Luke felt no better in all that time, and his ghostly companion still remained silent. He watched with the others as the light of the Core passed by the main viewport, his heart hammering loudly in his chest. He felt the ship shudder to a stop, but it did not put him any more at ease.

"The preparations are done," Jade announced suddenly, jerking Luke out of his thoughts. "Let's get out before our shield deactivates."

Luke followed the others out of the _Tartarus,_ to the deck where the _Albiore II_ would bring them away from the crushing pressure of the Core. Unfortunately, they were not the only ones there, and a lone figure in green and black with a bird-shaped mask stood between them and safety.

"Sync!" Guy shouted, drawing his sword.

The young God General smirked, crouching into a fighting stance. "I won't let you get away. I'll make the _Tartarus_ your grave!"

The Tempest struck, lashing out so fast that Luke could not even follow his movements. He kept to the back, his stomach lurching painfully. No, no... they could not die here, he could not die here! But he was still feeling ill from that morning in Sheridan, and Sync was moving so fast that it hurt to watch and...

_Kill him._

Luke started at Szayel's voice, turning to where he could feel his presence.

"What...?" he whispered faintly.

_Kill him, and you will feel better._

A cry from Tear drew his attention back to the fighting. Sync had knocked her down, sending her bouncing along the deck like a rag doll, before coming after him. Luke threw his sword up as the God General jumped toward him with a kick to his head, managing to block that, but not the follow up that landed on the back of his skull. He landed on the deck, stars dancing before his eyes, as Sync landed behind him, whipping around to deliver a blow that would put him out of the fight for good...

_Kill him!_

Luke rolled over onto his back, missing the foot that would have crushed his skull if he had not moved, while his sword hand snapped up, clinging tightly to his weapon. There was a sickening _thunk,_ and it took a clattering sound to make him realized he had squeezed his eyes shut. A warm feeling started to flow into him and, hesitantly, he opened his eyes...

...to find himself staring at Ion's face.

"I-Ion...?" he whispered, staring as Sync gagged on his own blood, the life dripping along the blade of Luke's sword.

"No..." Fon Master Ion murmured softly from behind them. "You are also a replica of the Fon Master..."

"Also?! Ion...?" Anise began.

Luke could not hear the conversation that was happening behind him. His eyes were on Sync, the Ion replica, and the deadening look coming to his eyes. With a monumental amount of effort, he suddenly pulled himself off of Luke's sword, blood flowing freely from the wound in his chest and dripping from his mouth. He stumbled backward, toward the edge of the ship.

"The only reason I am alive is because I am of use to Van," he hissed. "That's all the useful ones are good for; if they're useful, they're kept alive out of pity."

He smirked, spreading his arms out, before letting himself fall over the side of the _Tartarus._ Luke remained where he was, staring, that warm feeling still flooding his consciousness, before slowly settling down, leaving him feeling as he was before the tragedy of that morning. Hesitantly, he stood, moving to join the others... when a piercing pain suddenly shot through his head, and he let out a pained noise as he fell to his knees, blacking out barely a second later.

~.oOOo.~

Luke could feel gentle fingers slipping through his hair, and he opened his eyes to see he was in his little dream world. Szayel was curled up beside him, cradling him gently as he ran his fingers through his hair. Carefully, Luke sat up, though he did not leave the comfortable position they were in, leaning against the other man as the ghost’s arms wrapped around him securely.

"You frightened me there for a moment," Szayel murmured, nipping at his ear almost chidingly.

"What happened...?" Luke asked softly.

"A being known as Lorelei suddenly spoke through you," Szayel explained. "It said that you and your other were one and the same." He paused, adjusting his glasses. "Luke, I'm surprised at you. It seems there are things you have not told me."

"If I didn't tell you, it's because I didn't know," Luke answered softly, reaching up to cling to him.

"Hm..." Szayel mused. "At any rate, it also said that something enormous was absorbing its power. No doubt it meant Van and his little replication project."

"Van..." Luke murmured softly, falling silent for a long moment. One and the same with Lorelei... just like Asch was. Van must have known that and understood what it meant. Why else would he have gone to such lengths to keep one of them? He squeezed his eyes shut, taking a breath. He was not sure if he really wanted an answer to that.

"Szayel," he finally began, "why did I feel better after killing Sync?"

Szayel shifted uncomfortably. "That... may be my fault," he murmured. "It seems instead of separating us physically, our actions have only brought us together and you have taken on some of my... traits."

"Like...?" Luke asked, not liking where this was going.

Szayel held him tight, burying his face in his hair. "The reason why creatures such as myself are generally deemed as 'evil', is because we require the souls of the living to survive," he intoned mournfully. "I believe the reason you fell ill in Sheridan, was because of all those departed souls drifting around that could not be taken in by you."

He knew it; Luke shook slightly, looking like he was going to be sick. "Don't you think this is something you should have mentioned _sooner?!"_

"Forgive me, I did not believe it would happen like this," Szayel replied softly. "Every time you yourself take a life, it feeds us both. Perhaps a strong enough soul will enable me to separate from you, and enable you to return to normal."

Luke took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Szayel's strong arms around him helped, and he gradually found himself leaning back against him, breathing him in. They were silent for a long moment, the both of them lost in their individual thoughts, before the redhead shifted slightly, looking up at his ghostly companion.

"Szayel... what did it feel like for you when... you know...?" he began softly, biting his lip.

The pink haired man gave him a curious look, before a hand reached up, stroking his cheek. "I suppose you did not receive the majority of it, being human. Would you like me to share?"

Luke hesitated, but curiosity won out as he nodded shyly. Szayel drew him closer, lips brushing against his but not quite touching as something thin and thread-like slipped from his mouth. The boy inhaled sharply, a feeling he could not describe shooting through his body; it was like the best sex in the world, mixed with the joy of birthdays, holidays, and other happy occasions rolled all into one massive ball of elation. He shuddered as a faint moan escaped from his lips, clinging tightly to Szayel's shoulders, and a new sensation threaded through him.

It took him a moment to realize what it was, as he had not really known Sync very well, but the boy's inner pain, his rage and resentment being a replica, was now boiling through Luke's veins. He groaned, arcing back as if he was in pain, but it was far from that. It almost was... pleasant to feed off of the Ion replica's emotions, as if it were the only sustenance that he would ever be able to stomach. He let it wash over him, gasping as he slowly came off the high it brought, sinking back against Szayel.

"Th...that was..." Luke fumbled for words, but they refused to cooperate with him. After a moment he just shook his head, clinging tighter to Szayel as the ghost reached up to thread his fingers through his hair again.

A dark thought crossed his mind then, one that started out as a quiet thing, but at the same time, it was so loud that he could not ignore it. There was Van; his old sword master had more than enough power to not only feed them both, but give Szayel his freedom. Not only that, but he wanted to know what Van felt, what made him do horrible things, like slaughtering innocent people. A dark look came to his face as he clung tighter to Szayel, startling the ghost.

"...I'll do it," he murmured. "I'll kill my enemies, so that you can be free."

Luke nuzzled his head against his shoulder... missing the smirk that came to Szayel's face.

"Thank you, Luke..."


End file.
